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Why "Ulster"?
There seems to be some disagreement over what exactly constitutes Ulster and when it is and isn't appropriate to use the term. Indeed when I first mentioned this site (actually the gift shop) to a friend, she immediately declared that I'd "only get uber-loyalists" (or words to that effect), to which I initial reaction was "Why?"
Unionists tend to use the term Ulster to refer to Northern Ireland, either as a convenient short-form, or to highlight a certain continuity of identity that goes back to pre-partition (at the same time, perhaps, implying that Ulster lost Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal in 1921). The reason from my own point of view, and the reason that impacted the naming of this site, is simply convenience. Ulster is quicker to write and rolls of the tongue more easily than the quadricyllabic "Northern Ireland" - a fact backed up by the popularity of songs like "Stand up for the Ulstermen" and "Ulster 'til I die" with sports fans, which would sound distinctly worse had there been attempts to squash 4 cyllables into a space intended for 2. Let's face it, there aren't too many songs that include the words "Manchester United."
When nationalists use the term, howeer, they tend to mean the 9 county province, the boundaries of which were set in the 16th century (by an English-based government!) to make it easier to administer Ireland under the crown. It's this definition which is also usually inferred when sports that are organised on an all-Ireland basis refer to the "Ulster branch."
Unlike Ireland, (an island; a geographical feature) whose bounds are obvious, ie the sea, Ulster has for centuries been a cultural/political entity, the boundaries of which have shifted several times. In fact, the area now known as Cavan was traditionally part of a Kingdom called Breifne (Breifne O'Reilly to be precise) which was part of Connacht. When Elizabeth I created Counties Cavan and Leitrim from Breifne in the 16th century, the northern county was gifted to Ulster (as a reward for loyalty IIRC).
Often, nationalists (particularly the more easily-amused republicans - usually the same ones who, without a hint of irony, do their best to associate Ireland and Irishness with the symbolism of the southern State) insist on "correcting" references to Ulster when the term is used to mean Northern Ireland. I could point out a few of the more simple-minded comments from EU's own archives as proof of this. However, it's worth remembering that Ulster has no fixed definition, in either British or Irish law. With no legal status, therefore, and no one agreed meaning, there is no single "correct" usage.
My final point on the matter is this. EverythingUlster is my site and I'll call it whatever the hell I want